Refrigerated door assembly for a kitchen cabinet

ABSTRACT

A cabinet includes a frame, a drawer, and a lid. The frame defines an internal cavity. The drawer is slidably secured to the frame and is configured to slide into and out of the internal cavity. The lid is slidably secured to a top of the drawer, is configured to transition between open and closed positions, and is configured create a seal along the top of the drawer when in the closed position.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to refrigeration device configured tocool an interior space.

BACKGROUND

In order to keep food fresh, a low temperature must be maintained withina refrigeration device to reduce the reproduction rate of harmfulbacteria. Refrigeration devices circulate refrigerant and change therefrigerant from a liquid state to a gas state by an evaporation processin order cool the air within the refrigeration device. During theevaporation process, heat is transferred to the refrigerant. Afterevaporating, a compressor increases the pressure, and in turn, thetemperature of the refrigerant. The gas refrigerant is then condensedinto a liquid and the excess heat is rejected to the ambientsurroundings. The process then repeats.

SUMMARY

A cabinet includes a frame, a drawer, and a lid. The frame defines aninternal cavity. The drawer is slidably secured to the frame and isconfigured to slide into and out of the internal cavity. The lid isslidably secured to a top of the drawer, is configured to transitionbetween open and closed positions, and is configured create a seal alongthe top of the drawer when in the closed position.

A food curing system includes a frame, a drawer, a lid, and a climatecontrol system. The drawer is secured to a frame and is configured totransition into and out of the frame. The lid is secured to a top of thedrawer, is configured to transition between open and closed positions,and is configured create a seal along the top of the drawer when in theclosed position. The climate control system is configured to drive atemperature and a humidity of an internal space defined by the drawertoward desired values.

A refrigeration drawer assembly includes a slidable refrigerationdrawer, a slidable lid, and a refrigeration control system. The slidablerefrigeration drawer is configured to be received in a cabinet. Theslidable lid is configured to seal at least one food item within thedrawer and to maintain at least one environmental condition within thedrawer. The refrigeration control system is configured to monitor atleast one parameter of at least one food item positioned within thedrawer and adjust at least one environmental condition of the drawerbased on the at least one parameter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric front view of a kitchen cabinet having arefrigerated door assembly with the refrigerated door assembly in aclosed position;

FIG. 2 is an isometric front view of the kitchen cabinet with therefrigerated door assembly in an open position and a lid of therefrigerated door assembly in a closed position;

FIG. 3 is an isometric front view of the kitchen cabinet with therefrigerated door assembly in the open position and the lid of therefrigerated door assembly in an open position

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 6 illustrates a locking mechanism for the lid;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a refrigerant circuit that isconfigured to cool the interior space within the refrigerated doorassembly and a control system configured to control the climate withinthe refrigerated door assembly; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a control panel that is disposed along a front ledgeof the refrigerated door assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to beunderstood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examplesand other embodiments may take various and alternative forms. Thefigures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggeratedor minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore,specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not tobe interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. Asthose of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various featuresillustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures maybe combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures toproduce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described.The combinations of features illustrated provide representativeembodiments for typical applications. Various combinations andmodifications of the features consistent with the teachings of thisdisclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications orimplementations.

Referring to FIGS. 1-6 , a cabinet 10 (e.g., a kitchen cabinet) isillustrated. The cabinet 10 includes a frame 12 that defines an internalcavity 14. A drawer 16 is disposed within the internal cavity 14 and isslidably secured to the frame via drawer slides 18. The drawer 16 isconfigured to slide into and out of the cavity 14 via the drawer slides18. Stated in other terms, the drawer 16 is configured to transitioninto and out of the frame 12 via the drawer slides 18. The drawer 16 isillustrated as being disposed within the cavity 14 in FIG. 1 , with theexception of the facade or front panel 20 of the drawer 16 not beingdisposed within the cavity 14 in FIG. 1 . The drawer 16 is illustratedas being at least partially disposed outside of the cavity 14 in FIGS. 2and 3 . The drawer slides 18 may include rails 22 that are secured tothe frame 12 and runners 24 that are secured to the drawer 16. Therunners 24 may be slidable into an out of the rails 22. Bearings (e.g.,ball bearings) may be disposed between the runners 24 and rails 22 toreduce friction.

A lid 26 slidably secured to a top of the drawer 16. More specifically,the lid 26 is disposed within groves or slots 28 that are defined alongtops of opposing side panels 30 of the drawer 16. The slots 28 each faceinward relative to the drawer 16. Being disposed on opposing side panels30 of the drawer 16, the slots 28 also face toward each other. The lid26 is configured to transition between an open position (e.g., FIG. 3 )and a closed position (e.g., FIG. 2 ) via sliding within the slots 28.

The lid 26 is also configured create a seal along the top of the drawer16 when in the closed position. More specifically, the lid 26 may engageseals 32 that are disposed within the slots 28 to create a seal betweenthe side panels 30 and the lid 26. The front panel 20 of the drawer 16may also define a slot 34 and a front edge 36 of the lid 26 may engage aseal 38 that that is disposed within the slot 34 to create a sealbetween the front panel 20 and the lid 26. A trim component 40, such asa metallic strip, may be secured to the front edge 36 of the lid 26. Anadditional seal may be disposed along a back panel 42 of the drawer 16that engages the lid 26 to create a seal between the back panel 42 andthe lid 26. Alternatively, the seals (e.g., seals 32, seal 38, etc.) maybe secured to the lid 26 and may engage the drawer panels to createseals along the top of the drawer 16.

The seals (e.g., seals 32, seal 38, etc.) may form a perimeter thatextends along the entire top of the drawer 16 in order to isolate theinternal space 44 defined within the drawer 16 from the externalenvironment. More specifically, the lid 26 is configured to seal atleast one food item 46 within the internal space 44 defined within thedrawer 16 and to maintain at least one environmental condition (e.g.,temperature, humidity, etc.) within the drawer 16 by creating such aseal and isolating the internal space 44 defined within the drawer 16from the external environment.

The lid 26 may be made from a transparent material, such as glass, sothat the contents of the drawer 16 (e.g., the at least one food item 46disposed within the internal space 44) are visible when the drawer 16 isat least partially out of the internal cavity 14 and the lid 26 is inthe closed position (e.g., FIG. 2 ). A locking device 48 may beconfigured to lock the lid 26 in the closed position. The locking device48 may include a latch 50 that engages a striker 52. The latch 50 may besecured to the front panel 20 of the drawer 16 while the striker 52 issecured to the lid 26, as shown, or vice versa. A tumbler 54 may beconnected to the latch 50. A key may be configured to engage the tumbler54 to engage and disengage the latch 50 from the striker 52 in order tolock and unlock the lid 26, respectively.

The drawer 16 may remain sealed for “special cooking projects” while youare able to view the progress through the sealed window (i.e., thetransparent lid 26). For example, it is important to closely control thetemperature and humidity in the internal space 44 defined within thedrawer 16, if the drawer 16 is being utilized as a food curing or agingsystem that is facilitating the curing, aging, or drying of foods, suchas meats. Sealing off the internal space 44 during such “special cookingprojects” also provides odor control for spaces adjacent to the drawer16, such as the space forming a kitchen. It is noted that internal space44 defined within the drawer 16 may be cooled during such “specialcooking projects” as opposed to being heated. A raised wire rack 56 mayalso be place in bottom of drawer to allow airflow along bottom of fooditems 46.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 , a refrigeration or climate control system58 configured to drive a temperature and a humidity of the internalspace 44 defined within the drawer 16 toward desired values isillustrated. The climate control system 58 may be disposed adjacent tothe drawer 16. For example, the climate control system 58 may bedisposed in an adjacent cabinet or within a portion of the internalcavity 14 not occupied by the drawer. Alternatively, the climate controlsystem 58 may be secured to the back panel 42 of the drawer 16.

FIG. 7 includes a diagram illustrating a refrigeration loop or circuit60. The refrigeration circuit 60 may include an evaporator 62, acompressor 64, a condenser 66, a thermal expansion valve 68, and anaccumulator 70. The refrigeration circuit 60 includes lines or tubes 72that are configured to transport the refrigerant between the evaporator62, compressor 64, condenser 66, thermal expansion valve 68, andaccumulator 70. The refrigerant within the refrigeration circuit 60 isconverted from a low-pressure gaseous form to a high-pressure gaseousform within the compressor 64. The refrigerant is directed from thecompressor 64 to the condenser 66. Heat may be transferred from therefrigerant to an external medium. For example, the heat may betransferred from the condenser 66 to the internal space 44 definedwithin the drawer 16 if heating the internal space 44 is desired. A fan74 may be configured to direct air across the condenser 66 to transferheat to the external medium.

The refrigerant then flows from the condenser 66 to the thermalexpansion valve 68 where the pressure of the liquid refrigerant isreduced to allow the liquid refrigerant to expand, which decreases thetemperature of the liquid refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant is thendirected to the evaporator 62 where the refrigerant changes state from aliquid to a gas, which requires heat. The evaporator 62 transfers heatfrom an external source (e.g., the ambient air) to the refrigerant. Afan 76 may be configured to direct air across the evaporator 62 totransfer heat from the external source to the refrigerant. The airflowing across the evaporator 62 may then be directed to the internalspace 44 defined within the drawer 16 if cooling the internal space 44is desired.

The refrigerant then flows from the evaporator 62 to the accumulator 70,and from the accumulator 70 back to the compressor 64. More,specifically, the accumulator 70 is located on a line or tube 72 of therefrigeration circuit 60 that is between the evaporator 62 and thecompressor 64, which may be referred to as the suction line. Theaccumulator 70 prevents liquid refrigerant that did not evaporate in theevaporator 62 from flowing into the compressor 64. Liquid refrigerant isknown to cause damage to compressors in refrigeration circuits, sincethe compressors are typically designed to compress a gaseous refrigerantand not a liquid refrigerant. Such a condition where liquid refrigerantenters a compressor is known as a “liquid hammer” or liquid slugging.The liquid refrigerant may also wash lubrication oil out of thecompressor, which may cause damage to the moving parts within thecompressor due to the lack of lubrication between the moving parts. Anaccumulator is utilized to prevent liquid refrigerant from flowing intothe compressor in order prevent damage that may be caused to thecompressor when the liquid refrigerant flows into the compressor.

The compressor 64, fan 74, fan 76, and any other component may beconnected to and powered by an electrical power source, such as abattery. Alternatively, the compressor 64, fan 74, fan 76, and any othercomponent or may be connected to the power grid. The climate controlsystem 58 may be controlled by a controller 78. More specifically, thecompressor 64, fan 74, fan 76, and any other component may be operatedby an electrical actuator, such an electric motor, which may be poweredby an electrical power source and may be controlled by the controller78. The controller 78 may also be connected to a power source such as abattery or the power grid. The components of the climate control system58 may be form a single unit that receives electrical power as a singleunit.

The controller 78 may include a microprocessor or central processingunit (CPU) in communication with various types of computer readablestorage devices or media. Computer readable storage devices or media mayinclude volatile and nonvolatile storage in read-only memory (ROM),random-access memory (RAM), and keep-alive memory (KAM), for example.KAM is a persistent or non-volatile memory that may be used to storevarious operating variables while the CPU is powered down.Computer-readable storage devices or media may be implemented using anyof a number of known memory devices such as PROMs (programmableread-only memory), EPROMs (electrically PROM), EEPROMs (electricallyerasable PROM), flash memory, or any other electric, magnetic, optical,or combination memory devices capable of storing data, some of whichrepresent executable instructions, used by the controller 70 incontrolling the climate control system 58.

Control logic or functions performed by the controller 78 may berepresented by flow charts or similar diagrams in one or more figures.These figures provide representative control strategies and/or logicthat may be implemented using one or more processing strategies such asevent-driven, interrupt-driven, multi-tasking, multi-threading, and thelike. As such, various steps or functions illustrated may be performedin the sequence illustrated, in parallel, or in some cases omitted.Although not always explicitly illustrated, one of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that one or more of the illustrated steps orfunctions may be repeatedly performed depending upon the particularprocessing strategy being used. Similarly, the order of processing isnot necessarily required to achieve the features and advantagesdescribed herein, but is provided for ease of illustration anddescription.

The control logic may be implemented primarily in software executed by amicroprocessor-based controller, such as controller 78. Of course, thecontrol logic may be implemented in software, hardware, or a combinationof software and hardware in one or more controllers depending upon theparticular application. When implemented in software, the control logicmay be provided in one or more computer-readable storage devices ormedia having stored data representing code or instructions executed by acomputer to control, the climate control system 58. Thecomputer-readable storage devices or media may include one or more of anumber of known physical devices which utilize electric, magnetic,and/or optical storage to keep executable instructions and associatedcalibration information, operating variables, and the like.

The controller 78 may be programmed to control the temperature and/orhumidity within the internal space 44 defined within the drawer 16. Morespecifically, the controller 78 may be programmed to operate the climatecontrol system 58 to drive the temperature and the humidity of theinternal space 44 defined within the drawer 16 toward desired values. Ifcooling and/or dehumidifying is desired, the controller 78 may operatefan 76 to direct air across the evaporator 62 and into the internalspace 44 defined within the drawer 16. If heating is desired, thecontroller 78 may operate fan 74 to direct air across the condenser 66and into the internal space 44 defined within the drawer 16.

Furthermore, the controller 78 may be programmed to monitor at least oneparameter (e.g., weight) of at least one food item (e.g., food item 46)positioned within the drawer 16 and to adjust at least one environmentalcondition (e.g., temperature or humidity) within the internal space 44defined within the drawer 16 based on the at least one parameter. Forexample, if the at least one food item 46 is meat that is curing and theweight of the meat is decreasing too slow during the curing process, theclimate control system 58 may be adjusted to decrease the humidity inthe internal space 44 defined within the drawer 16. As another example,if the at least one food item 46 is meat that is curing and the weightof the meat is decreasing too quickly during the curing process, theclimate control system 58 may be adjusted to increase the humidity inthe internal space 44 defined within the drawer 16.

A feedback sensor 80 may be configured to communicate a parameter to thecontroller 78 to adjust the operation the climate control system 58. Forexample, the feedback sensor 80 may be configured to measure thehumidity within the internal space 44 defined within the drawer 16 andthe controller 78 may be programmed to operate the climate controlsystem 58 to drive the humidity toward a desired value.

As another example, the feedback sensor 80 may be configured to measurethe temperature within the internal space 44 defined within the drawer16 and the controller 78 may be programmed to operate the climatecontrol system 58 to drive the temperature toward a desired value byeither heating or cooling the air being directed into the internal space44 defined within the drawer 16. An additional feedback sensor 82 may beconfigured to measure the weight of an object (e.g., food item 46)disposed within the internal space 44 defined within the drawer 16 andto communicate the weight back to the controller 78, which may adjustclimate control system 58 based on the weight of the object, a change inthe weight of the object over specified period of time, or a rate atwhich the weight of the object changes.

Alternative methods of heating, cooling, or adjusting the humiditywithin the internal space 44 defined within the drawer 16 may beutilized. For example, one or more thermoelectric devices that include ahot side and a cold side may be used to adjust the temperature withinthe within the internal space 44 defined within the drawer 16.

Referring to FIG. 8 , a control panel 84 that is disposed along a frontledge of the drawer 16 (i.e., the upper surface of the front panel 20 ofthe drawer 16) is illustrated. The control panel includes buttons, atouch screen, or some other human machine interface that allows a userto adjust the environmental conditions (e.g., temperature or humidity)within the internal space 44 defined within the drawer 16. For example,the control panel 84 may allow a use to set the humidity within thedrawer, the temperature within the drawer 16, and/or allow a user tolock the drawer 16 electronically. If the drawer 16 is capable of beinglocked electronically, an actuator, such as a solenoid or small electricmotor may be secured to the latch 50, and may operate to engage anddisengage the latch 50 from the striker 52.

It should be understood that the designations of first, second, third,fourth, etc. for any component, state, or condition described herein maybe rearranged in the claims so that they are in chronological order withrespect to the claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that anycomponent, state, or condition described herein that does not have anumerical designation may be given a designation of first, second,third, fourth, etc. in the claims if one or more of the specificcomponent, state, or condition are claimed.

The words used in the specification are words of description rather thanlimitation, and it is understood that various changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Aspreviously described, the features of various embodiments may becombined to form further embodiments that may not be explicitlydescribed or illustrated. While various embodiments could have beendescribed as providing advantages or being preferred over otherembodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or moredesired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognizethat one or more features or characteristics may be compromised toachieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specificapplication and implementation. As such, embodiments described as lessdesirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations withrespect to one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of thedisclosure and may be desirable for particular applications.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cabinet comprising: a frame defining aninternal cavity; a drawer (i) slidably secured to the frame and (ii)configured to slide into and out of the internal cavity; and a lid (i)slidably secured to a top of the drawer, (ii) configured to transitionbetween open and closed positions, and (iii) configured create a sealalong the top of the drawer when in the closed position.
 2. The cabinetof claim 1 further comprising a lock configured to lock the lid in theclosed position.
 3. The cabinet of claim 1, wherein the lid istransparent such that contents of the drawer are visible when the drawerit at least partially out of the internal cavity and the lid is in theclosed position.
 4. The cabinet of claim 1 further comprising arefrigeration loop configured to cool and dehumidify an internal spacedefined by the drawer.
 5. The cabinet of claim 1 further comprising acontroller programmed to operate the refrigeration loop to drive atemperature and a humidity of the internal space toward desired values.6. The cabinet of claim 5 further comprising a feedback sensorconfigured to communicate a parameter to the controller to adjust theoperation the refrigeration loop.
 7. The cabinet of claim 6, wherein thefeedback sensor is configured to measure a temperature of the internalspace.
 8. The cabinet of claim 6, wherein the feedback sensor isconfigured to measure a humidity of the internal space.
 9. The cabinetof claim 6, wherein the feedback sensor is configured to measure aweight of object disposed within the internal space.
 10. A food curingsystem comprising: a frame a drawer (i) secured to a frame and (ii)configured to transition into and out of the frame; a lid (i) secured toa top of the drawer, (ii) configured to transition between open andclosed positions, and (iii) configured create a seal along the top ofthe drawer when in the closed position; and a climate control systemconfigured to drive a temperature and a humidity of an internal spacedefined by the drawer toward desired values.
 11. The food curing systemof claim 10 further comprising a lock configured to lock the lid in theclosed position.
 12. The food curing system of claim 10, wherein the lidis transparent such that contents of the drawer are visible when thedrawer it at least partially out of the internal cavity and the lid isin the closed position.
 13. The food curing system of claim 10 furthercomprising a feedback sensor configured to communicate a parameter tothe climate control system to adjust the operation the climate controlsystem.
 14. The food curing system of claim 13, wherein the feedbacksensor is configured to measure a temperature of the internal space. 15.The food curing system of claim 13, wherein the feedback sensor isconfigured to measure a humidity of the internal space.
 16. The foodcuring system of claim 13, wherein the feedback sensor is configured tomeasure a change in weight of object disposed within the internal space.17. A refrigeration drawer assembly comprising: a slidable refrigerationdrawer configured to be received in a cabinet; a slidable lid configuredto seal at least one food item within the drawer and to maintain atleast one environmental condition within the drawer; and a refrigerationcontrol system configured to (i) monitor at least one parameter of atleast one food item positioned within the drawer and (ii) adjust atleast one environmental condition of the drawer based on the at leastone parameter.
 18. The refrigeration drawer assembly of claim 17,wherein the refrigeration control system further includes (i) at leastone feedback sensor configured to monitor the at least one parameter ofthe at least one food item or the at least one environmental conditionof the drawer and (ii) is configured to adjust the at least oneenvironmental condition of the drawer based on the monitored at leastone parameter of the at least one food item or the monitored at leastone environmental condition of the drawer.
 19. The refrigeration drawerassembly of claim 18, wherein the at least one parameter is a weight ofthe at least one food item.
 20. The refrigeration drawer assembly ofclaim 18, wherein the at least one environmental condition is a humiditywithin the drawer is a temperature within the drawer.